stop this world
by lita rocks LbC
Summary: I've never felt so high as I do now. It's too good to be true, I don't deserve you. I've never felt a love strong enough to stop this world from spinning. eventually Liley.


**Disclaimer**: I own nothing related to HM. The title is from Neyo's "Stop This World".

**AN**: it's been a very long time... how's everyone been? Happy Reading.

**Stop This World**

"_What are you doing tonight?_"

"I don't know. A friend is gonna have a kickback and they want me to go."

"_Then go! You needa go out and have some fun._"

"But I rather stay home and talk to you. Plus, they're just gonna try to get me drunk anyway."

"_Just go! Have some fun!_"

"You're shitting me, right? This is the first time we've talked in like a week and you want me to go out and have some fun?"

"_Well yeah... I'm gonna have to get off in a bit and I have all these press and interviews throughout the whole day. I don't know when we're gonna be able to talk again._"

"Unbelievable. Thi-"

"_Wait, hold on! I got a call on the other line._"

"Yeah, sure. Okay, just switch to the other line without waiting for a response," I mumbled, agitated, under my breath. A few seconds turned into minutes and by the time I looked at my phone it was dark, indicating that the other person hung up already. "Hello? What the fuck?" I asked putting the phone back to my ears to see if my phone was just fucking up. I snatched the phone away from my ears when it was evident that no one was going to reply and squeezed the device tightly in my hands. I just wanted to throw the phone against the wall, but thought better of it. My mom was going to kill me if she knew I messed up another cell phone and had to get another one.

With a sigh, I relaxed the death grip I had on my phone and glanced at the clock. It was only five in the afternoon and the kickback started at eight.

Great, what am I gonna do for three hours?

–

It was about an hour and a half later when I my phone dinged once, indicating that I got a text. I was snapped out of my trance and blinked at my computer screen, which showed that I was just one click away from winning another game of solitaire. I watched in fascination as the cards fell from it's spot and shattered at the bottom of the screen. Another ding went off and drew my attention away from my computer screen down to my phone.

_'ur still comin rite?'_

It took me awhile to respond back. I really didn't want to go out; the way the conversation ended was still getting to me and I was sad and hurt. I took in a deep breath and shook my head, shaking the fogginess away.

_'yea, for sure be there around 830'_

I was in the process of shoving my phone into my pocket when it dinged and vibrated in my hand simultaneously. I looked down at the screen and smiled.

_'k! can't wait to see u, I miss u :)'_

With warm and fuzzy feelings in my chest I exited the game of solitaire and went downstairs to get a glass of water. Before I could even get to the kitchen I hear my mom's voice calling my name from the game room on the other side of the house.

"Yes?" I asked when I got to the door. I leaned against the threshold with my shoulder and crossed my arms over my chest. "Uhhhh," I trailed off, not sure what to say, as I watched her stretched out against the wall. Her arms were stretched wide apart over her head, both sides of her hands holding up the corners of a huge poster.

"Oh thank god!" she exclaimed after noticing I was in the room. "I've been calling you for a few minutes already!" she chided, but let out a breath of relief. "Will you help me please? It feels like my arms are about to fall off," she whined.

"Really, mom?" I said, walking up to where she kept a pile of thumbtacks and taking a couple into my hand. "Why didn't you just pin up one corner first? Wouldn't that have been easier?" I asked, pining up the left corner for her. She sighed in relief and dropped her left arm, shaking it a bit to get the blood flowing. A second later that same arm smacked me in the stomach, making the breath leave my lungs. "OW?"

"Shut up. The corners kept on curling up against each other," she explained as she snatched a thumbtack from my hand to pin up the other side.

"Well sorrrryyyyy! Sheesh. I was trying to make _your_ life easier," I hmphed as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"It would have been easier if you came down the _first_ time I called you," she shot back.

"_Anyway_," I dismissed before a playful but useless banter would ensue, "need any help?"

The moment the question left my lips, I knew I was in for trouble. Her face brightened up and a huge smile showed off her straight pearly whites. "Why yes, I do need help."

–

My phone dinged and vibrated again, and I wiped the sweat off of my forehead with the back of my hand before digging into my pocket and pulling the phone out.

_'where r u?'_

I blinked and looked up at the clock on the wall that I just put up. It read nine thirty. Jeez, where did the time go? I swore I'd been working and helping my mom for ten minutes, but more than three hours flew by! Speaking of my mom, I searched around the sitting room(the room where no one goes into) and spotted her laying down on the sofa with an arm bent over her eyes.

"Excuse me, woman!" I exclaimed loudly, making her jump and pop into a seated position.

"Huh? What?" Mom asked, slightly disoriented and wild eyed.

I glared at her. "I see what you're doing here. Giving me all this work to do so you can slack off. I've got you all figured out now!"

She laughed and shook her head as she hand ran through her blond locks. "Sorry hon, the time difference is still getting to me," she apologized.

"S'okay, you should get some rest, it's been a long night," I said, taking a seat next to her and throwing an arm around her shoulders.

She shook her head. "No, I want to get this over and done with," she said determinedly.

"You sure?"

She sighed and tilted her head until it was resting on top of my head. "Yes."

"Alright then! Let's finish up here," I said, giving her shoulders a squeeze before standing up.

"Wait!" she said suddenly. I jumped and stared at her expectantly. "Bathroom break!" she said sheepishly.

"Really! You scare me half to death because you need to pee?" I asked unbelievably.

"Yes."

"Alright then! Go do your business," I laughed, making a sweeping motion towards the bathroom. When she was gone and out of sight I pulled my phone back out of my pocket and sent a text.

_'sorry! iono if i could make it anymore. rearranging the house, if anything i'll be there late'_

I kept the phone in my hands, but after my mom got out of the bathroom and it still didn't ring I just dropped it into my pocket. After a few more minutes of placing lamps here, and hanging pictures there, I got a new text from another friend.

_'where u at?'_

_'doin house work! Be there by 1030 or 11'_

_'hoookay'_

–

An hour later found me sitting in my room, in front of my laptop again, half dressed and wondering if I should still go to the kickback or not. I really didn't feel like going, my body was sore and tired, and my mood was still in the shitter. For some reason, something was pushing me to go. Maybe I really did need some fun, or maybe it was because my significant other was just too busy to even talk to me, but whatever it was kept bugging me until I finally finished getting dressed.

_'still goin on?'_

_'yea. Bunch of people'_

With that as my final push I slipped on my favorite blue hoodie and favorite black shoes, and made sure I had my phone and wallet in its respective pockets before grabbing my keys and heading out of my room. I walked into mom's room, and made sure she was tucked in properly before giving her a kiss on the forehead and wishing her a good nights rest. After that, I headed on out and to the kickback.

–

On the way there, with the radio turned off in my car, I was just cruising through the streets and turning through familiar neighborhoods. I say familiar because for three years this place was my home. When mom left to Atlanta for her new job, I moved in with the Stewart's. I finished off high school with honors and graduated with the class of 2010. That night was epic. Half of the graduating class went to grad night at Disneyland, while the other half were at the Stewart's ranch house. The party was outside in the main barn and around the courtyard, while the parents were inside the house having their own party. It was a crazy night, that's for sure.

A crazy night, in fact, that led to the break up of my relationship with Oliver. Let's just say that drunk words equals sober thoughts and he released a lot of drunk words about what he had done on tour. Stuff that involved stupid fan girls and drugs. I wasn't as upset as I should have been, but that's because I had already suspected it. He had been distant for awhile and the feelings just weren't there anymore. That doesn't mean I wasn't hurt, because I was, but it's okay now. We eventually worked things out and now we're friends. Not best friends or close friends or even good friends, but we're friends.

I stayed with the Stewart's for another two years after that, going to school at the local junior college because of financial reasons. And so I stayed with the Stewart's, argued with Jackson as if he were my older brother, continually spilling the beans about how we, Miley and I, were feeling to Mr. Stewart about things he did wrong, and stayed up late into the night talking to Miley about any and everything.

And then... mom came back. She got promoted again, and was given the choice to work wherever she wanted, and so she moved back to Malibu. Mr. Stewart offered her a room at the ranch, but she declined, saying she didn't want to intrude. But she did take him up on the offer of staying with them until she found a place. I had a few more weeks with the Stewart's before mom finally found a place, across town and towards the beach more, kind of near our old place.

We've been at the new house for a few weeks, just arranging the furniture and getting used to living with each other again. It's rather quiet, just the two of us, without Jackson's obnoxious behavior, Mr. Stewart's random guitar playing and singing, and Miley's voice. I'm slowly getting used to it, though, and we're both making the effort to spend time together to catch up with each others lives.

I stopped at a red light and smiled at our easy-going nature and classic banter from what we did just a few moments ago. It seemed as though we didn't have to worry about not knowing how to act around each other anymore.

It was great to have my mom back.

–

When I finally got to the kickback, I started questioning what I was really doing there. It didn't seem like a kickback, more like a small party since there were people out in the front yard and loud music was coming from the garage. As I made my way to the side gate, I spotted Miley with Joannie standing next to her and a guy I didn't know standing in front of them.

A huge smile bloomed on Miley's face when she saw me and, I kid you not, she was squirming in place with her arms spread out in front of her as she waited for me to walk up to her. I greeted her with my own smile and gave her a huge hug before smiling at Joannie and giving her a small hug, too. I looked back at the guy over my shoulder and gave him a nod of the head in greeting.

"Finally! It took you long enough to get here!" Miley said in a loud voice, and I could tell she was slightly intoxicated.

"Yeah... sorry about that," I apologized sheepishly, slipping an arm around around her waist which caused her to throw an arm around my shoulders. "My mom had me helping her fix up the house," I explained.

"It's okay! I missed you, though," she said cheekily, before giving me a kiss on the cheek out of no where. I felt myself fighting off a blush and brought a hand up to my neck to rub it bashfully. Ever since I moved we haven't been hanging out, since I was so busy trying to fix up the house and spending time with my mom.

"I missed you, too," I admitted softly so only she could hear before placing my own kiss on her cheek. I was speaking from a platonic point of view, of course, because hello! I have a girlfriend. "Who's all here?"

"Everyone!" Joannie answered, just as loudly as Miley.

"Yeah!" Miley exclaimed, giving me a look. One that made me somewhat confused, but made butterflies erupt like crazy in my stomach. Before I could wonder what that was all about, she turned us around and pushed me to the garage. "They're all in there," she said with a smile, shoving me by the shoulders and smacking my butt. I looked at her over my shoulder like 'wtf?' but started towards the garage anyways.

Just so there's no confusion, Miley wasn't a drinker, at least as far as I knew. As long as I had known her, she never drank. When we were at parties and kickbacks, she would decline any alcohol presented to her, so I was freaked out because she wasn't sober right now. Really freaked out.

Anyway, when I stepped into the garage I noticed people sitting on metal folding chairs on one side of the room, listening to a small stereo that was blasting music, and another group of people on the other side of the garage playing beer pong.

As soon as Jackson spotted me he stood up from his seat and yelled out "LILLYYYYYYY!" He walked over to me and gave me a big old hug, as if we hadn't seen each other in years. "I thought you fell off the face of this earth or something! How've you been?" he asked as he guided me to the empty chair next to his.

"I've been good. Just hanging out with my mom and catching up on life," I told him.

"That's cool. That's cool. It's been quiet around the house without you, you know?" he said, throwing an arm around me. I flinched back a bit, since he was obviously intoxicated and his breath smelled strongly of liquor. Jackson wouldn't be this touchy and revealing if he was sober. "Miley misses you, too. She's always moping around the house and complaining about how bored she is. You need to visit more!" he shook me a bit before letting go and sitting back in his own chair.

"Yeah... okay. I will," I promised. When I finally looked around and actually took the time to see who was all here, I was surprised. It was like a high school reunion. Saint Sarah, Rico, Joannie, Johnny, Matt, Gabe, Amber and Ashley(believe it or not they actually grew up some over the last few months of high school), and many other familiar faces that I always passed by in the hallways but never really spoke to. Miley stumbled through the door, laughing uncontrollably with the nameless dude behind her, holding onto her waist with his hands. Something shot through me, like... anger, as I watched him with a smirk on his face. I frowned and shook my head when someone sat next to me and tried to get my attention. "Oh, hey! How's it going Matt?"

Matt and I started a conversation, but I had most of my focus on Miley and the nameless dude that was all over her. On the outside, I had a smile on my face and having an animated conversation with Matt, but on the inside my protective side was out and I was on full best friend/sister mode as I watched Miley through the corner of my eyes.

After the conversation with Matt practically died out and I was already sitting there for a while, I finally got up and went in search of a drink. I didn't really want to, but I figured why not? The girls who saw me, and interrupted the conversation between Matt and I, tried to persuade me to drink, but I pushed away their attempts. After a while, my throat started to itch and I was like fuck it! I might as well have some fun. A few drinks isn't gonna fuck me over, anyway.

I grabbed a can of Bud Light from the cooler and went to back to my seat. I sat there for awhile, just observing everyone, taking everything in, keeping an eye on nameless guys hands, and sipping on my drink. Occasionally people would come up to me and we'd talk for a bit. By the time I was through with my fourth can of Bud Light I was feeling a bit buzzed, but relaxed and loose. I started getting more flirty and hilarious, and even danced to a few songs, well I attempted to at least.

Between my second and third can of Bud Light Miley started paying extra attention to me, and left the nameless dude to fend for himself. It all started with me patting my lap when she walked by. I wanted a lap dance, honestly, and she gave me one in her drunken stupor. It was clumsy, and I was feeling numb all over my body, so we were both clumsy together. After she was done with the lap dance, she tried to get back up, but stumbled, so I grabbed onto her waist and pulled her back onto my lap. She laughed and threw an arm around my shoulder, keeping herself up.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah! I'm good," she smiled. We locked eyes, and I knew she wasn't, but I went along with it and kissed her forehead. "I'm really glad you're here," she said quietly into my ear.

I pulled my head back so I could look into her eyes and smiled softly. "Me, too."

"Lilly! Get your ass over here and take a shot with me!" He demanded from the other side of the garage. I laughed and shook my head.

"I think I need to take that," I smiled.

"Cool!" Miley said, eyes sparkling. "I'll take another one with you guys," she said in an excited voice. The smile dropped from my face and I locked my arms around her waist even tighter. She gave me a questioning look.

"No, Miley. No more shots for you." I said sternly, as if I was speaking to a child.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Yes. More shots for Miley!"

"No."

"Lilly! C'mon I haven't even taken a shot with you yet!"

"HURRY UP LILLY! This double shot is waitin' for you," Jackson yelled. I sighed, looked at Jackson then back to Miley and slumped my shoulders, giving into her sad puppy dog eyes look.

"Fine! Just one shot, though." I conceded. Miley got super excited and jumped off of me. She got too excited and tripped over her own foot, and was about to fall over before I stood up and wrapped my arms around her waist again. "Seriously. One shot, not the double shot, but the regular shot glass!"

"Fiiiiiiiine!" she rolled her eyes and lead the way to Jackson. When we got to him, some guy from one of my classes got my attention for a few minutes and we chatted for a bit before I turned back to the Stewart siblings.

"Miley! What the hell?" I asked, outraged. When I turned back to them, Miley was knocking back a double shot and had a regular shot glass in her other hand that was still filled. "Oh no you don't!" I exclaimed when she just looked at me and went to take the other shot.

"Let me have it! I'm depressed, okay?" she exclaimed, as she turned her back to me when I tried to grab for the shot glass. She downed the shot and turned to me with a pleased look on her face. I gave her a disappointed look and shook my head. Her smile faltered for a bit, but she still managed to grab a shot glass off of the table and handed it to me. I just continued staring at her. "If you don't take it, then I will." she threatened, pretended to bring the shot to her lips.

I growled and reached a hand out to snatch the shot glass out of her grasp. "This doesn't change anything. I'm pissed off at you right now," I told her before taking the shot. The amber liquid burned the back of my throat as I swallowed, and tears pooled at the corner of my eyes when I blinked. "No wonder I stopped drinking for awhile," I coughed and wiped the tears away with the back of my hand. "What?" I asked when I noticed Miley staring at me.

She shook her head and averted her eyes. "Sorry..."

I sighed, "It's okay." I couldn't stay mad at her, even if I tried. There was just something about Miley that prevented me from getting too angry and staying angry at her. "C'mon, let's sit." She looked at me for a moment before shrugging her shoulders, taking my hand, and leading the way back to my seat. There were many empty seats around us, so I was surprised when Miley chose to sit on my lap instead after she had basically shoved me onto a chair. "You okay?" I asked as she giggled and slid off of my lap a bit. My arms wrapped around her waist tighter and pulled her closer until my front met her back.

She sighed and snuggled against me some more before tilting her head back into the crook of my neck. "I'm good," she answered.

"You sure?" I asked, totally not convinced. I swear to God that I'm not making this part up, but she actually growled. It sounded from deep within her chest and made her throat vibrate. She sat up, a little too fast, and doubled over. Before I could react or know what to do, she was sliding off of my lap and landed on her knees. I felt bad, but I couldn't stop the laughter bubbling out of my lips as I stood up and tried to pick her up. "C'mon Miles, get up!" I hooked my arms underneath her armpits and tried to hoist her up, but they were failed attempts since she was so flimsy and I was on the verge of being drunk. "Up!" I tried again, but she fell to the side and I went tumbling with her. Laughter spewed from our lips as we both laid on our sides, curled up into each other, her back to my front.

When the laughter died down, I rolled onto my back and Miley automatically turned until her head was on my shoulder and an arm was thrown over my stomach. A second later the wind was knocked out of my lungs as she smacked me in the stomach. "Why did you let me fall!" she exclaimed into my sweater.

"I didn't! You fell yourself," I laughed after getting my breathing back under control.

"No! You made me fall!" she exclaimed, grabbing a fistful of my sweater and gripping tightly.

"Ow.. ow.. ow. Miley. OW!" I shrieked when she ended up pinching my stomach. I clamped a hand over hers and kept it from twisting around even more.

"Heh," she snickered. "Sorry."

"You girls okay?" The nameless dude asked. I took my attention away from Miley and looked up at his amused face. He was rather handsome, I had to admit. Dark brown hair, green eyes, and a boyish smile. I could see why Miley would have any kind of interest in him, but that didn't mean I had to like him.

"Yeah, we're good," I answered as I moved to sit up, which made Miley sit up with me. I untangled her from me and stood up before bending down and trying to lift her up again. The guy grabbed onto her left side and lifted her up. I was going to sit down and have Miley sit on me again, but I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Instead, I waited until the guy was sitting down to sit Miley on his lap.

As I was turning to leave the garage Miley grabbed onto the sleeve of my sweater and kept me in place. "Where ya goin', Lils?" she asked with a pout on her face. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and showed her the picture of the person calling. "Oh, okay," she said sadly, slowly letting me go. I glanced at the guy one last time before turning and walking out of the garage and to the side.

By the time I finally got to answer the phone, the call went to voice mail. I cursed under my breath and hit the number to call back, but it just kept ringing and ringing until it went to voice mail. I tried a few more times, each time getting the same result, and yelled out my frustration when I got sick of the bullshit.

I really wanted to throw my phone against the wall of the garage, but held my temper in check. I inhaled a deep breath of the California air and slowly released it.

"You alright there, Lilly?" I turned around and spotted Jackson standing a little ways behind me with a drink in his hand. I shrugged and tilted my head to the side, not really knowing how to answer the question. The phone vibrated in my hand and I glanced down at the screen to see that I got a text message.

'I kno ur out havin fun, but I wanted 2 tell you that I miss u. wished we tlked a lil more 2nite. I'm about 2 go to sleep. G'nite. Love you babe.'

"I wished we talked a little more tonight," I mumbled under my breath. We could have talked more, but nooo! Someone had to answer the other line and hung up on me! Instead of calling back right away, hours passed by until I finally got a damn text! Why wasn't the phone picked up when I called back earlier? Jesus. This relationship stuff is not good for one's health.

"Trouble in paradise?" I jumped, having forgotten that Jackson was still there, and looked up at him again.

"God, she gives me a damn headache!" I exploded. "We don't talk for almost a week, and when we finally get the chance to talk she tells me to go out and have fun! When I go to argue, she answers another call on the other line and then hangs up on me! I wait for her to call back, but she doesn't, not until a few minutes ago, but then I don't get to answer it right away so it goes to voice mail. When I go to call her back, she doesn't pick up, not all five times. Then, now, I get a damn text that says she wished we talked more tonight! Like, what the fuck! If she wished we talked more tonight, why didn't she call me back! UGH!" By the time I was done venting, I was breathing hard and my hands were in my hair, pulling at it like I was crazy.

"Girls are confusing, you know," Jackson stated after walking up to me and patting my back.

"Tell me about it," I huffed, shoving my hands into my pockets in frustration.

I felt him look at me, and when I turned to look he had an amused look on his face. "You're a girl, too, Lils," he stated matter of factly.

"Yeah, I know, but that doesn't mean girls don't confuse me. Hell, I even confuse myself!" I exclaimed, causing Jackson to laugh.

"It'll all work out. You knew what you were getting into when you asked her out, right?" he asked. I nodded. "It's not easy dating someone in the entertainment business. They're always busy, and their schedules are pretty much jam-packed without their consent. Plus, all those people they meet and hang out with? It can surely bring out insecurities in the most confident person, but you just gotta have some faith, you know?"

I stood there for awhile, taking in what I was just told. Digesting the words and dissecting them sentence by sentence. In the end, I just nodded and clapped him on the back.

"Thanks, Jackson. I really needed that," I said sincerely.

"No problem."

"So who's the dude Miley invited?" I asked curiously after a few moments of silence between us.

Jackson shook his head and took a sip of the drink in his cup. "I don't even know. His name is Jeremiah and I think he's trying to hook up with her. She met him at the club or something," he answered with a sigh.

"You don't trust him either?" I asked with a smirk. He shook his head. "I'll watch her for you," I promised.

"Thanks," he sighed in relief before running a hand through his hair. "She's been going crazy ever since she found out Jake cheated on her," he said, shaking his head sadly.

"She's still hung up on that asshole?" I asked with a frown.

"Yeah... they're always texting each other or calling each other and arguing. It's so damn annoying. All you hear from her room is her cussing at the phone and hanging up on him, and then a few seconds later he blows up her phone with more calls. If she doesn't pick up, he sends her text after text. It's really damn annoying."

"Jeez, and this is what I'm missing out on? Rude!" I joked. On the inside I was torn for Miley. They were together for so long, and his dumb ass just had to cheat on her and break her heart. No wonder she was drinking and going all out tonight.

"Ha. Yeah. And now she's meeting all these guys at the clubs and parties. It's crazy."

"What? Since when?" I exclaimed, not knowing that this was happening.

Jackson sighed and shrugged. "Since she started hanging out with Joannie more."

"Palumbo?" I asked, confused. Since when did they hang out so much?

"Yes. 'P-bo'," he answered, air-quoting her nickname. It was quiet for a few moments as I contemplated what I just found out. I know it's been a while since I hung out with Miley, but I didn't think it was that long. "Look, it's cold out here, so I'm gonna head back inside. Watch Miles for me, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll watch her," I promised. He thanked me and went inside.

–

As the night dragged on, I kept my promise with Jackson and had my eyes on Miley and Jeremiah. I made sure that she didn't take anymore shots and he kept his hands where I could see them. If he tried anything, I would swoop right in and take Miley away from him. All throughout the night she was either dancing with me or sitting on my lap. There were times when I felt bad for him because he was just secluded to his own little corner and no one really spoke to him, but I thought about it and I didn't know him, so I didn't trust him. Especially since he was sober and Miley was drunk. Every time she sat on my lap, I would cast my eyes his way and he'd just be staring at us with a mixed look of confusion and anger etched onto his face.

As the hours ticked on by, most of the people left until it was just the really close friends there, and Jeremiah. Some guys passed out on the couch in the living room, and others were sitting around a table in the garage playing Kings Cup. Matt and I argued over the rules, since his was different from the way I usually played the game, but no one listened to me because he was louder. I didn't care, I wasn't even playing the game, I was more focused on having Miley feed me pretzels since I was too lazy to feed myself.

I would literally feel myself growl lowly to myself every time Jeremiah got Miley to feed him, too.

I didn't know where these feelings were coming from, I mean I've always been protective and jealous if anyone got too much of Miley's time and attention, but this was ridiculous. The jealousy and protectiveness was much more stronger than all the other times.

The sun was coming up by the time most of the people left, the ones remaining all huddled into the living room. Miley was in a deep and heated conversation with Gabe, about some girl that Jackson was into. Apparently Jackson was still into his ex-girlfriend, Siena, but she was just messing with his head. Jackson was still in love with her, but it was obvious she was just fucking him over. She even brought her current boyfriend to the kick back with her! At one point or another, Miley was getting too heated and so I tried to calm her down, which I did, by sliding an arm around her waist and hugging her to me. She calmed down instantly, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and put her head on top of mine.

Soon, everything died down and everyone was gone... except Jeremiah. Miley and I were walking into our old bedroom when he tried to go in there, too. I let Miley go in first and was about to shut the door in his face. He blocked the closing door with an outstretched hand and I looked at him expectantly. Surely he didn't think he was going to sleep in the same room as us!

"Sorry dude, no dudes," I apologized sarcastically.

"What? I've slept in here before!" he exclaimed.

"What?" I barked, stopping him with a hand on his chest when he tried to take a step into the room, and throwing an incredulous look at Miley. She was seated on the side of her bed with a blank look on her face, like she didn't know what was going on.

"Go away, Jeremiah," she shooed, throwing in the gestures and everything. His shoulders slumped and he shoved my hand off of his chest before turning on his heels and walking away. I stood there and made sure he was walking in the right direction, away from the room and to the side gate, before turning around and closing and locking the door. Shaking my head, I went up to Miley and stopped right in front of her with my arms crossed over my chest. "What?" she asked when she finally noticed me.

"He slept in here?" I asked in disbelief.

She sighed and kicked off her shoes. "Yes, he did."

"Mi –"

"On the floor!" she exclaimed, pulling the blanket and sheets from under her. "Of course he's not gonna sleep in the same bed as me! Or on your old bed," she huffed, stuffing herself in between her bed and the blanket. "You, daddy, and Jackson need to have more faith in me," she mumbled as she got comfortable.

"But he's a guy! He could have taken advantage of you," I tried to reason.

She hmphed and stated matter of fact, "I slept with pepper spray under my pillow."

This actually caused a laugh to bubble out of me before I could stop it, and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. "Okay, I'm sorry I kinda lost faith in you," I apologized, tucking errant locks of hair out of her face.

She smiled, just slightly, and looked me in the eyes before closing hers and burrowing under her blanket some more. "You are forgiven. Now go to sleep," she demanded. I was about to get up and go to my old bed, but a hand flew out from under her blanket and grasped onto my wrist. When I looked at her face, her eyes were still closed, and when I tried to pull my hand away she just gripped harder. "Cuddle with me," she mumbled into her pillow.

I smiled and shook my head. I tried to pull out of her grasp, so I could get more comfortable, but she still wouldn't let go. "How am I supposed to take my shirt and shoes off if you won't let go of me?" I asked. She peeked one eye open and let go of my wrist. I laughed when she kept her eye on me, like a hawk, as I pulled my shirt off, leaving me in my tank top, and kicked my shoes off. "There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" I asked with a chuckle. Her response was to quickly lift her blanket up and grab onto my arm to pull me under the warmth. This all happened before the blanket even started to gently fall back down around us. "Whoa!" I exclaimed when my face met the pillow next to hers.

"Mmhmm," she nuzzled her face into the crook of my neck, "sleepy time," she mumbled before her breathing evened out and she fell asleep almost instantly.

I laughed lightly to myself and shook my head before getting more comfortable and closing my own eyes. The feel of Miley's breath hitting my neck rhythmically and the sound of her even breathing was like my lullaby, and I fell into the darkness that consumed me.

**AN:** iono.. I wanted this to be a loooooong ass one-shot, but i've been writing this story for a while now, since november of 2010 probably, and it's just not going anywhere. There's still so much planned for this little idear, but I just wanted to post things up and see how people would react to it. Do I even have any readers still? Let's see how long it'll take me to upload the next chapter... lol. Anyways.. read and review!

**AN#2:** for people waiting for Teach Me or Lie About Us.. i'm working on them... just be patient, please.


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